Adult Faith Exploration: Looking Ahead to 2016 – 2017!

The Adult Faith Exploration Ministry is currently planning programming for the 2016 – 2017 church year. The Ministry is hoping to provide several meaningful opportunities to increase understanding and foster dialogue around topics related to culture, community, other faith traditions, and self-awareness.

Through films, books, presentations, and small group experiences, we look forward to exploring the meaning and role of faith in the context of current societal issues and personal growth. We’d like to offer programs that promote both individual reflection and community discussion.

We would also like to find ways to collaborate with other church ministries that might be examining similar topics or are interested in working together to present opportunities to the congregation.

While we’re still in the process of shaping next year’s programming, we’ve identified several themes that we think might be worth pursuing.

As fundamental as it may sound, we’re thinking about an opening program on faith. Using resources such as the UCC Statement of Faith and Marcus Borg’s four historical meanings of faith, we would share reflections on faith and what it means to us today. Among other things, we might engage in a group altar-building exercise where participants share an object that symbolizes some aspect of faith in their lives.

Building on our spring 2016 discussion of the film Being Mortal, we’re considering participating in a nationwide program called The Conversation Project, which is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. We think the program could serve as a catalyst for a deeper examination of how we want to live at the end of our lives.

We’re also considering topics related to civility, race, other faith traditions, and even how to manage Thanksgiving dynamics with our extended families!

We’re open to your ideas. If you have a suggestion for a faith exploration program, please feel free to be in touch with any of us.